<< Background >>Mathematics is one of the academic areas that have an important implication in everyday functioning. Without some mathematical knowledge, one would not know how to pay when grocery shopping or manage the monthly budget. However, mathematical skills are not skills an individual is born with but are rather skills that need to be learned. Calculation, like reading, is a culturally derived, specifically taught, slowly learned skill (Rapin, 2016). Due to the fact that math needs to be learned and the individual has to put some effort in order to acquire mathematical skills, many students have an aversion towards mathematics as a science. According to research, one of the general reasons for this aversion lies in the anxiety towards mathematics.But besides the mathematical deficits from an emotional origin, there is a group of children and adults who have cognitive difficulties with mathematics (Mammarella et al., 2015). This condition is called dyscalculia. Dyscalculia is a specific learning difficulty, which is manifested by problems in mathematics and the understanding of mathematical concepts. According to the British Dyslexia Association (2019), dyscalculia is a specific and persistent difficulty in understanding numbers which can lead to a diverse range of difficulties with mathematics. It is unexpected in relation to age, level of education, and experience and occurs across all ages and abilities. Students who face dyscalculia often struggle with understanding the concepts of bigger vs. smaller and mastering even the most basic mathematical operations.The prevalence of dyscalculia in the school population ranges from 3 – 6% (Shalev et al., 2000). But unlike the other specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia, dysgraphia and, ADHD, there has been very little research on dyscalculia. That is why the worldwide awareness is still very low and that causes parents and teachers not to be able to identify children with dyscalculia and to determine the exact difference between students experiencing dyscalculia and those who have math anxiety. Parents are often unfamiliar with the condition and think that their child’s math difficulties occur due to laziness.In-depth research in this area has shown that there is an evident lack of courses for parents for students with dyscalculia. Courses are usually oriented towards building skills in teachers predominantly for evaluation or working strategies with children with dyscalculia. Parents are usually uninformed, and do not have the skills to advice their children when needed. The initial target group are the parents of children with math difficulties. This platform and successive course will tender to their needs, knowledge and skills regarding this issues. The research done in the first part of the project (project result no. 1) will guide us in the process of creation of the content for the platform and it will also be a guide for all the policies related to the educational process of children with dyscalculia. The secondary group that will mostly benefit are the children with dyscalculia. These children will get double instruction - a regular instruction from teachers in schools and home-based instruction from their parents. Their educational needs will be met through an online course which will be self-paced and the parents can go through the course in their own time and place. The instructions placed on the platform and in the course will be created by experienced practitioners and experts in the field, and most importantly they will be available at all times.The development and use of the platform will improve the digital skills of all, aligned with the challenges set in the new century. In this way the project will meet the needs of the partnership as well.<< Objectives >>Due to all of the above, the main objective of the CALCULATE project is the creation of online courses intended for parents of children experiencing math difficulties. The need to educate parents about dyscalculia is evident and by creating the online courses their competencies will be improved with appropriate techniques and tools on how to help their children’s mathematical difficulties. Another project objective is a development of an interactive online platform where the course curriculum will be available. This way, besides being able to equip themselves with basic dyscalculia strategies, parents can learn other parents’ dyscalculia experiences and also share their own, as the platform will also give possibilities for blog following, blended learning and, forums. The platform will provide the exchange of best practices and experience of the project partners countries’ that currently exist.Other project objectives include:•Development of a platform for parents who have children with dyscalculia for online courses. •Creation of a handbook for identifying and teaching strategies for children with dyscalculia.•Development of dyscalculia policies for the educational institutions (policy paper).•Research conduction in order to be obtained the percentage representation of dyscalculia children in elementary schools (in order to make long-term strategies.Promoting and strengthening knowledge and acceptance of diversity in society.The project target group are the parents of children with dyscalculia, but the project results can be useful to all professionals in the field of education since all of the platform materials (tools) will be available all over Europe and shared on the Internet platforms for didactic materials (EPALE, School gateway, e-twinning, etc.)<< Implementation >>Three transnational meetings will be held including persons from the project management teams/administration and experts/researchers involved in the production of the project results. 1st kick-off meeting. The purpose and main objective of this meeting is an introduction of all partners, introduction of the GANTT chart for all upcoming project activities, explanation of the budget allocation, financial procedures and responsibilities. 2nd transnational meeting will be held in Italy in February 2023. This meeting will be held at the middle of the project activities and it will be closely related to the development of the online course and the successive platform. This meeting will also be related to discussions in the area of visibility of the project and further sustainability of the platform. 3rd meeting for sustainability and dissemination of project results. This meeting will be organized towards the end of the project activities, in Belgium, in December 2023. The three upcoming dissemination events will be discussed, as they are crucial for larger visibility of the project and of course for sharing all the knowledge and skills gained through this transnational collaboration. Three project results are planned within the framework of this project:1.Research: Dyscalculia or math anxiety;2.Online course-content for parents: Overcoming dyscalculia;3.Interactive platform with online courses for parents of children with dyscalculia.Three multiplier events are planned towards the end of the project:ME1 - Dyscalculia and math learning difficulties;ME2 - Overcoming dyscalculia;ME3 - Evidence based strategies for children with dyscalculia.Two LTTAs are necessary for the participants to gain the needed skills for production of the project results:1st Training: Innovative STEAM pedagogical tools for parents to teach math to children;2nd Training: Training of trainers (ToT).<< Results >>Tangible results: - Creation of curriculum for online courses for parents of children with dyscalculia; - Creation of interactive platform (e-learning) about dyscalculia approaches and working strategies; – Improvement of parents’ skills and capabilities for appropriate support of their children with dyscalculia; – Creation of handbook for dyscalculia identification and teaching strategies; – Drafting of dyscalculia education policies (policy paper); – Increased access to dyscalculia tools and materials; – Development of new dyscalculia approaches and methods; – Gain of valuable data about dyscalculia prevalence on elementary school level through research.Intangible results: - A more profound understanding of differences in mathematical skills acquisition and learning; - Raising awareness about dyscalculia and specific learning difficulties in general; - Increased motivation for learning in adults; - Increased interest in supporting other students with disabilities; - Increased support of parents with dyscalculic children.

CONTEXTThe Skills SETS partnership was developed in order to strengthen and sustain a knowledge exchange network of organisations, practitioner, experts and policy makers working in training and business support for the development entrepreneurial skills for the voluntary and community sector within the UK, Estonia, Italy, and Spain.AIMThe overall aim of the project partnership was to develop and disseminate knowledge and ‘market intelligence’ in order to provide resources for third sector organisations within the EU that are adopting – through choice, necessity, or both – more enterprising working practices and an entrepreneurial organisational culture. OBJECTIVESThe key objectives of the Skills SETS project were to:1) Assess the availability of formal VET learning opportunities relating to enterprise and entrepreneurialism for individuals and organisations within the third sector2) Review the suitability and the relevance to the third sector of the formal learning that is available3) Identify case studies for informal learning activities – such as mentoring programmes – designed to inculcate entrepreneurialism and assess whether such programmes can or should be replicated at regional, national and European levels4) Consider the potential impact of cultural and legislative issues and on entrepreneurialism within the third sector5) Develop recommendations to inform the development of enhanced learning opportunities related to entrepreneurial skills for the third sectorMETHODOLOGYThe project objectives were achieved through a programme of local case studies and national level research designed to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and best practice, not just between the project partners but also across different sectors and throughout their local and regional networks in each of the participating Member States. The results of this work supporting the project partnership by informing the development of policy recommendations focused upon enhancing the availability and quality of learning opportunities related to entrepreneurial skills for the third sector at local, national and European levels.PARTICIPANTSThe target groups for the Skills SETS project incorporated: VET learners and professionals; local, regional and national third sector organisations; awarding bodies that accredit relevant VET qualifications; and national and European level policy actors related to the third sector in general and social enterprise and entrepreneurship in particular. The Skills SETS project achieved its target of engaging a minimum of 250 VET professionals and organisations from these target groups via project activities.ACTIVITIESThe primary project activities were as follows:- Delivery of a series of 6 Transnational Project Meetings that facilitated cooperation and partnership working amongst the project partners and supported the management and delivery of key project activities and outcomes - Implementation of a programme of desk based and primary research that supported the development of Intellectual Outputs, including reviews of relevant VET provision, case studies and policy recommendations- Delivery of a series of 4 Multiplier Events that were designed to promote the Intellectual Outputs created by the project in order to maximise the impact of project activities in general and the Intellectual Outputs in particularIMPACTThe Skill SETS project provided significant beneficial impacts for the individuals directly involved in project activities, as well as for local and regional stakeholder organisations and people from target groups such as VET learners and professionals that are engaged and supported via dissemination and sustainability actions. For those participating directly, the project enabled them to learn from others’ experiences and to develop and enhance their professional competences through the sharing of skills and good practices. The work undertaken as part of the project activities provided participants and stakeholder organisations with access to a wide range of new perspectives on their day-to-day work within the third sector. In particular, partnership activities will provide opportunities to learn from best practice in other EU countries and other sub-sectors of the third sector. Finally, participating in the project also facilitated ongoing European level partnership work in cooperation with the partner organisations – in particular, the Italian, Spanish and UK partners continue to cooperate on a variety of current projects and programmes relevant to the Skills SETS project.

Writing and reading are not birth given skills and therefore teaching must be explicit. Dyslexia is a type of learning difficulty that influences one’s ability to read. According to the International Dyslexia Association (2002), dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty, with a neurobiological origin characterized with difficulties that occur in the accurate and fluent recognition of words, which are manifested by spelling problems and problems with the abilities for decoding. Also, dyslexia is the most common learning disability (Rief&Stern, p. 3). According to this, teachers all around the world face students with such problems in their classrooms every day. Having in mind that reading and writing are extremely important for success in and out of school, dyslexic students face the risk of academic failure, and a lower reading efficiency and self-correction (Burden, 2008), as well as a lower self-esteem (Alexander-Passe, 2006).5-10% of all school children have dyslexia (Roongpraiwan et al., 2002; Brown et al., 2001).In North Macedonia there are no precise statistics regarding this issue, but according to the analysis of the Association for dyslexia Einstein, there are approximately 12.6% dyslexic high school students. Anyhow, due to the lack of information and proper training, persons with dyslexia are not recognized by the environment, ie by parents, teachers, professors, employers etc. It is not uncommon for teachers to label such students as lazy or immature. Even when recognized, teachers are unable to help them without proper evidence based teaching strategies or methods. It is evident that there is a need for active education and upgrading of professional knowledge of teachers regarding dyslexia. This is the reason why we need to utilize all the available technology and create tools which are accessible to all. Also, in order for the first principle of the European Pillar of social rights to be met, regarding everyone’s right to quality and inclusive education, teachers need to gain the expertize for dealing with dyslexic students and facilitate their schooling so that they would be able to fully participate in the society one day. In that direction, the main objective of the DYSCOURSE project is creation of an on-line platform that will contain courses and various dyslexia working strategies and methods. These instruments will be developed within this project in the form of intellectual outputs by young adults (students in the field of Special Education and Rehabilitation). The content from the platform will be the basis on which an app will be created. Through this app, parents, caregivers, pedagogues, special educators as well as other students (within the dyslexia course practicum) can monitor the development of reading and subsequently writing of each child. These changes in practice will eminently lead to a change in theory. Hence this project predicts upgrade of the university curricula in the area of Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia).Other objectives of the project include:•Development of OER for teachers for online training course for teaching students with dyslexia.•Creation of a mobile app for easy platform access.•Enabling access to the platform and app to parents, caregivers and professionals in the area of disability.•Improving the level of key competences and skills in professionals in the disability area.•Foster quality improvements and excellence in innovation and exchange of good practices at the inclusive educational institution level through enhanced transnational cooperation between education and training providers and other stakeholders.•Promote and strengthen knowledge and acceptance of diversity in society.Project target group are teachers in inclusive schools. These are the adults that are directly involved in the education of dyslexic children and need most support and dyslexia training. Anyway, the platform would be of use to any adults that get in touch with the child who has dyslexia (parents, special educators etc.).Due to the fact that 5-10% of all school children are dyslexic, the platform and the app can provide easy and quick access to methods and strategies to teachers from many different countries. First of all, the DYSCOURSE Project will enable exchange of the best practices currently existent in the project partners’ countries so that the most relevant one will find there place on the dyslexia platform. After the exchange between the partners, all of the platform materials (tools) will be available all over Europe and shared on the Internet platforms for didactic materials (EPALE, School gateway, e-twinning etc.).

E-tools for E-schools project targets common problems for the educational systems of EU countries such as the existing gap between available technologies and their application in teaching process. The project aims to equip teachers with practical skills and tools for learning resources preparation and use, and to provide them with wide range of teaching ideas and pedagogical instruments concerning the introduction of ICT. The proposal is focused on an innovative approach for teachers training providing more strategic and integrated use of ICTs and open educational resources that will not only straighten the profile of teaching professionals but will also support the implementation of European Commission Action Plan on Opening up Education.EFES project is transnational initiative that will be implemented in Bulgaria, Italy and Greece by organisations with significant experience in teachers training, methodology development and educational research. The expected project outputs are not nationally limited and their application changes the whole concept of the teaching process as not enclosed in the classroom, stimulate trans-school cooperation and networking. The applicant organisations will systematize best examples of e-learning activities and will jointly develop new training tools, and approbate new and modern way of training, based on blended-learning methodology. The blended or hybrid approach combines online with traditional face-to-face class activities in a planned, pedagogically valuable manner and allows flexibility and self-regulation of education without the time and space constraints.Two significant project outputs will remain in use after the lifetime of the project – WebTV and LMS platform. The Web TV will be an e-tool for training teachers how to use ICT in educational process and will combine the best seminar practices, target the existing needs, provide practical examples and templates. This innovative tool will allow unlimited number of teaches to strengthen their digital competences on demand and without any financial constraints. In other words, the WebTV will instruct teachers how to use open source platforms in order to prepare e-lessons for class- and homework. The LMS platform is a learning management system for primary and secondary school teachers based on open source software and divided in different sectors and categories of users. The platform will offer a complete set of services and tools supporting blended learning, such as services for the effective use of multimedia as a powerful learning means, collaborative development of educational templates and learning scenarios reflecting different educational approaches and needs, and services for the creation, management and monitoring of web-based and mobile (location-based) educational assignments.These two intellectual outputs will be applied and tested in three piloting schools - one in Bulgaria, one in Italy, one in Greece. The schools are selected to have good digital provision but limited digital-supported teaching. The piloting stage will provide significant and contextual feedback from the direct target group in each country. The platform and the Web TV will be fine-tuned and improved afterwards and will became more easily accessible and user-friendly. Afterwards, a series of dissemination events are planned in each country in order to popularise the outcomes among the target group and the relevant stakeholders. The final project results will be available in four EU languages – Bulgarian, Italian, Greek and English, and will be adjusted according to the cultural, social and educational context in each country. These products will be integrated in the management and pedagogical framework of the participating organisations. This will not only enlarge the scope of their work but will make the number of the potential users unlimited. In long term perspective, the project goal is to support the ongoing educational reforms in EU countries by providing teachers and students with the skills required by the labour market and the economy, and by mobilizing all stakeholders to change the role of digital technologies at education institutions.

Learning Schools is addressing a common problem within the educational systems of most European countries – the loss of knowledge and expertise with teacher retirement, attrition and migration. Most schools do not have any mechanisms for knowledge capturing, synthesising and sharing within the organisation or others use only separate tools, which are not organised as an efficient system. The aim of our transnational team of experts is to enhance individual, team and organisational learning in schools. The direct target group of the project is school principals, school leaders and teachers from Bulgaria, Spain, Italy and Turkey. In order to achieve the project’s goals we are creating the first knowledge management system and platform for schools in the participants’ countries, which will contain a set of synchronised tools.The project will be developed in the framework of the learning organisation and schools as learning organisations, which has integrated most of the achievements of the management thought for the last 25 years. The diverse cultural, economic and educational context of all the countries will allow for rich country specific analyses of the characteristics of the learning schools in each country, the best practices they apply and the existing level of knowledge management. All the findings will lead to the development of an integrated model of learning schools (MLS), an elaborate assessment instrument for comparison of the achievements of all the users of the platform and the existing best practices. The country specific analyses will feed examples for the knowledge management system, which we are devising as well. All these tools will be synchronised on a platform, which will make them user-friendly and accessible for school principals and school leadership at large. The platform will lead to the development of learning community of schools network. All the registered users will be able to share best practices and expertise. The expected impact of the project is beyond the borders of the applicants’ countries. The integrated interactive resources will be available in English, Bulgarian, Italian, Spanish and Turkish languages. It is an innovative contribution on national, regional and EU level. All the findings and outcomes of the project will benefit researchers and policy makers with instruments for enhancement of the educational systems reforms.All the instruments integrated in the platform and the platform itself will be tested in several schools in each of the participants’ countries. The schools are selected to have good digital equipment, but incomplete knowledge management set of instruments. The piloting stage will provide significant and contextual feedback from the direct target group in each country. The platform and the instruments integrated it will be fine-tuned and improved afterwards in order to become intuitive and user friendly. The participants in the piloting stage are school leaders and teachers.A series of dissemination events are planned in each country in order to popularise the outcomes among the target group and the relative stakeholders. Two types of events will be conducted – national one in Bulgaria and regional in all other countries. In long term perspective, the project goal is to support the ongoing educational reforms in EU countries as it raises awareness about the need to capture, synthesise, share and asses knowledge on organisational level and will prove the benefits of that.